"Today's soft launch of the Command Center also adds to the festivities of the 58th National Maritime Day commemoration," Pandjaitan noted in Jakarta on Wednesday.
The KKP Command Center uses the Integrated Maritime Intelligent Platform and satellite-based surveillance to maintain and detect fishing vessel activities and thematic spatial data.
Pandjaitan expounded that Indonesia's advantage, with a maritime area spanning 6.4 million square kilometers, is a favorable geostrategic position. However, this wealth should be balanced with knowledge to manage it properly.
"From an economic perspective, if we manage marine and fishery resources properly, then they can contribute more than six to seven percent of the gross domestic product (GDP), with four million job opportunities and contribute 50 percent to marine protein intake for food security," he emphasized.
Hence, overfishing, IUU (Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated) fishing, and marine pollution should become a common concern, the minister stressed.
Such factors not only threatened marine resources and ecosystems but also posed a threat to food security, the state economy, and the people's income in the marine and fisheries business environment, he remarked.
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Economically, these illegal activities also reduce the trust level in the global fisheries market and interest in marine fisheries investment. In addition, it will affect the achievement of the blue economy and the government's target in realizing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The minister welcomed the KKP's plan related to a measured fishing policy. He hoped the regulation and its derivatives would be able to increase national fishery productivity, protect national investment, increase fishermen's welfare, and accelerate Indonesia's target to become a global fishery player, as included in the top five world export countries.
Pandjaitan also emphasized the importance of maintaining a balance between measured fisheries and the quality of Indonesia's Marine Protected Areas, including with the support of innovative financing, such as Blue Halo S.
"I invite all of us to continue to work hard and fight for the Indonesian sea, optimize capabilities, and build cooperation and collaboration between ministries and institutions. Only with strong cooperation can we achieve the target," he added.
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Translator: Ade Irma J, Resinta S
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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